Charles h



(No Model.)

0. H. DRESSEL. RAILWAY SIGNAL LAMP. No. 584,110. Patented June 8,1897.

INVENTOR {73AM g4 W0 all 5') Mm m.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT tries.

CHARLES H. DRESSEL, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

RAILWAY SIG NAL-LAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,110, dated June 8,1897.

Application filed December 3, 1895. Serial No. 570,904. (No model.)

To all when: may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. DRESSEL, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Railway Signal-Lamps, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates especially to railway signal-lamgmand has for itsobject the provision of a rotatable lamp-body mounted in asupporting-arm and arranged to be turned or rotated horizontally to theright or left and held in a fixed position so as to present either sideof the lamp.

To attain the desired end, my invention consists, essentially, in alamp-body inclosed by a ring provided with notches or slots therein andwith a supporting-arm arranged to engage with a suitable bracket.Secured in or beneath the lamp-body is a rocking spring-catch adaptedand arranged to engage with the notches in the above-mentioned ring,normally holding the lamp-body against rotation, while permittingrotation when pressure is brought upon the catch by means of a handlebeneath the lamp-body; and my invention also involves certain othernovel and useful combinations or arrangements of parts and peculiaritiesof construction and operation, all of which will be hereinafter firstfully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is avertical axial sectional view of the base of a signal-lamp wherewith myinvention is employed. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View at line a;:0 of Fig. 1, looking from below. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of thelamp reversed.

Like numerals of reference wherever they occur indicate correspondingparts in all the figures.

1 is the lamp-body, provided with a bottom 2 and a base or skirt 3.

-11- is a ring encircling the lamp-body, provided with notches or slots5, beveled at each side.

6 is an arm formed with or secured to the ring 4 and arranged to engagewith a sup porting socket or bracket.

7 is a handle extending across the skirt 8.

8 is a metal frame, preferably triangularin shape. This plate isprovided with lugs 9, (shown by the dotted circles in Fig. 2,) said lugs being arranged for riveting to a plate 10.

11 is a screw-threaded perforation in the frame 8, and 12 are lug-hooksformed thereon.

13 is an oblong slot in the skirt, through which a holding-screw 14: isarranged to pass, and 15 are slots for the reception of the lughooks 12.The frame 8 is formed with a staple or keeper it at one side, havinginwardlyprojecting lips 17.

18 is a catch-plate fitting with the staple 16 and normally thrownoutward in engagement with one of the notches in the ring 1 by a spring19.

In assembling the parts for use the ring 4 is passed over the lower partof the body 1 and the skirt 3 placed in position. The plate 2, bearingthe frame 8, is passed into the interior of the body, the lugs 12 hookedthrough the slots 15, and then, by giving a slight turn, the parts arelocked together and firmly secured by the screw let. Screws might besubstituted for the lugs 15, but by the arrangement shown they aredispensed with.

The parts being assembled and arranged for use as above set forth, whenit is desired to turn the lamp a portion of a revolution in order topresent a different-colored lens or side of the lamp-body, by graspingthe handle '7 and twisting the entire lamp the beveled edge of the slotin the ring 4 will rock the catch 18 upon one of the lips 17, asindicated in Fig. 2, forcin g the catch out of engagement with the ringand permitting the lamp-body to revolve to the desired position, whenthe catch Will again engage with a notch in the ring, and this rotationmay be obtained in either direction, as desired.

Having now fully described-my invention, what I claim as new therein,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a signal-lamp the combination with the body thereof, of a notchedencircling supporting-ring, and a spring-catch fixed to the lamp-bodyand adapted and arranged to engage with one of the notches in the ring,or be forced out of engagement therewith by the lamp-body when rotatedin either direction,

2. In a rotatable signal-lamp, a supporting notched ring in combinationwith a catchplate supported in a frame fixed to the lampbody, andarranged to rock in said frame in either direction when forced inward bythe rotation of the lamp-body, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a lamp of the character herein specified, the combination with therotatable body, of an encircling supporting-rin g having beveled notchesor slots therein, a frame fixed to the bottom of the lamp-body; acatch-plate located in said frame, and a spring normally holding thecatch-plate in engagement with a notch in the ring while permitting therocking backward of the plate in either direction, substantially asshown and described.

4. In a lamp of the character herein specified, the combination with thebody and skirt thereof, of a catch-plate frame, provided with hook-lugsand a holding-screw, locking the parts together, substantially as shownand described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing l have hereunto set my hand inthe presence or 1 two witnesses.

CHARLES H. DRESSEL. lVitnesses:

A. M. PIERCE, B. M. DoNALnsoN.

